Causes Of Shays Rebellion

In 1786 and 1787 a series of protests began in the states from New Hampshire to South Carolina but most significantly in Massachusetts. These protests became known as Shays’ Rebellion. This name came about from the leader of this rebellion, Daniel Shays from Massachusetts who was a former captain in the Continental army. These protests and rebellion came about when farmers in these states, Massachusetts especially, suffered from high debt as they tried to start new farms. There were many farms that local sheriffs seized and farmers that were put in prison because they couldn’t pay their debt. “Farmers in western and central Massachusetts, removed from commercial centers, deeply indebted, abused by private creditors, and oppressed by heavy taxes, reacted predictably by modeling their behavior upon traditions of …show more content…
Those that were unhappy with what was happening and angered that the government wasn’t doing anything to help. Those involved in the rebellion organized together and called special meetings to protest conditions. They then began to become a little more aggressive once protests weren’t enough. They began to close courts by force and free imprisoned farmers who were sent to jail because of debt. It wasn’t until Daniel Shays came into leadership that it became a full on revolt. “Shays’ Rebellion, particularly for Progressive historians, has long held an important place in explaining the rise of sentiment for constitutional reform” (Chu). The rebels realized that peaceful protest wasn’t getting anywhere or changing anything, this is when the armed militias began to form. These protestors and rebels wanted to form a stronger national government. The rebellion eventually ended and was a justification for revision or replacement of the articles of confederation. Shays rebellion played a big role in the framing and ratification of the